Police said Brady did everything he could to avoid a confrontation. He walked away twice.

They said he thought he would be safe at the Hardee’s up the street.

“Pretty much, he was just trying to stay away from him and not cause a lot of problems,” said Sgt. Jimmy Arndt at the Gastonia Police Department.

Police said Brady went to the hospital in serious condition. They said he needed surgery Tuesday night, but he is expected to make a recovery.

They arrested Lynn minutes after the stabbing.

Investigators are working with employees at the Hardee’s to retrieve video from surveillance cameras in the dining room. They are hoping it will give them a complete picture of what happened in the moments before the stabbing.